Trappistes Rochefort 10

Trappistes Rochefort 10. Belgian trappist quadrupel.
Abbaye Notre-Dame de St.-Remy. Rochefort, Belgium.
11.3 % ABV. 31 IBU.

A little while ago I was at a local store and saw some Belgian bottles on the shelves that I thought hadn't appeared here, in the Nib, just yet. My friend Paul was ringing me up and said "oh, I love the Rochefort." I ran back to the shelf to add the 8 to purchase, along with the 6. "No, it's the 10 that I like," he said. Yes, I love it, too, I told him, but I'll be back for it later. I was certain that the 10 had appeared here, after all these years, but not the 6 or the 8. And I took them home and went online and searched my own blog and discovered not only had they appeared here before, 4 years ago, but the exact same thing happened. I went out and bought the 6 and 8, and not the 10. Oh, well, I would use this opportunity to take a better picture. And now at last, I am making up for all this, and I am going to drink a Trappistes Rochefort 10 Belgian Quad, and I'll share my notes from.....sixteen and 1/2 years ago?!?

No, I'll write new notes, and put the old ones at the end.

Deep, dark Burgundy hued, slim beige head.

In the nose: Fruit, grapes, berries. Sweet malt. Oak. Fig, raisin. Dense and delightful.

In the mouth: More deep, more rich, more delicious. It's a complex web of flavors that gives and gives. Full-bodied, long lasting tastes, vastly rewarding. It tastes old, already, though I'm certain that it's fresh. Definitely one of the Belgian ales that would find benefits from aging. That's something I'm not entirely capable of doing, though I'm always thrilled when I can taste the efforts of someone else's aging.

So much malty goodness. Fruit meets caramel, toffee, cocoa. Belgian chocolate blends with berries and grapes. Good gracious, it's delicious, and strong. Powerfully tasty, a dream in a bottle, and a journey in a glass. Something to take back your breath, and slow down time for just a spell.

In December of 2002, I was very new to writing about beer, and posted this on BeerAdvocate.com:

Creamy, tan head; gorgeous violet color.
Aroma: dark, dark, dark, with spices, dark fruits, grapes, berries,strawberries
...distinctly port-like,plummy, raisinish.
 A tad flat, though...do I have an old, improperly cared-for bottle?
Terriffically strong, incredibly warming, the feel and the heat of a glass of cognac!
Absolutely perfect!

I'll add another note. This bottle marks the 4th time I've checked in this beer on Untappd since 2013. Not one other time did I not know it had never entered the Nib. What is wrong with me some times?

About the brewery: The Abbey of St-Remy, in the southern part of Belgium, was founded in 1230, and the monks began to brew beer sometime around 1595. The beautiful small brewery in the abbey, Rochefort Trappistes, is one of only eleven Trappist breweries in the world and makes full-bodied, deeply flavored dark ales. They are bottle-conditioned and among the world's most highly-respected beverages. Only beers made in a Trappist Monastery, under the supervision of the monks, can use the Authentic Trappist Product seal. There are only eleven Trappist breweries in the world.

About the beer: Dominant impressions of latte coffee with powerful chocolate aromas in the nose. The alcohol esters are enveloped with hints of autumn wood, citrus zest (orange, lemon) and freshly baked biscuits. The initial taste is sweetly sinful. Beer and chocolate trapped into one single glass, a liquid milky draught with a backbone of bitter malt. The alcohol warms the throat and, in the finish, you will pick up traces of cloves, citrus, orange and mocha.
The heaviest of the Rochefort beers, the 10 is a quadrupel style beer and can be recognized by its blue label.

Trappistes Rochefort 8

New notes on Trappistes Rochefort 8 (alc. 9.2 % vol):

Appearance: opaque burgundy-hued, slim head.

Aroma: A mad mix of dark fruits, spices, and Belgian yeast. Plums, raisins, brandy, red wine. A potent puree.

Taste: Intense carbonation, generous malt, plentiful fruit flavors, bountiful hops. Just about everything is upped a notch in this delicious Belgian strong dark ale. Immaculate expression of trappist ingenuity. Or goodness, or grace, or genus, whatever fits the bill. Beautiful. Smooth, strong, and sharp all at the same time. Just the way I like it.

And here's what I originally wrote in December of 2002:
Muddy, dark purple; big, fuzzy, funky head.

Wondrous nose: cherries, berries, bananas, sugar and spice, some citrus.

On the tonque, something of a challenge. Pounds and pounds of flavor! Is it supposed to be a Tripel? The strength and the rather firm, full texture are a drawback to drinkability.

Other drawback is that the only place I've been able to buy this was in a wine shop that overprices and undersells it's quality beer. It was in a clearance bin, marked down. Maybe a better cared for bottle would have tasted differently?

Let's look at those notes as a snapshot in time, and a testament to a space in history, as well as picture of my changing palate.

Trappistes Rochefort 6

As I try to continue to survey the local brewing scene and make notes on each bottle and can available, I also think on what else may be missing from this blog. Maybe the Belgians? As I search the shelves, for what I haven't included here and seek new beers I haven't tried, I sometimes forget about the greats, the favorites, that I've neglected for so long.

And so I will now write fresh notes about Trappistes Rochefort beers of the Abbey St. Remy. First one will be the 6, alc. 7.5% Vol. 11.2 fl. oz. 330 ml. Authentic Trappist Product.

Appearance: clouded dark amber coloring, vast creamy head, looking great.

Aroma: sweet, citrus-y, with the requisite Belgian yeast funk. redolent with a plentitude of fruity flavors. Grape must meets Belgian funk. Cherries and berries.

Taste: Ah! Just, mmm, and ah. Utterly exemplifies all of the elusive qualities of the Belgian pale ale, with plenty of yeast action, just enough fruit and funk, minor hops, more malt, and great consumability.

Yum. That's what I want to say. Hey, did I ever say anything else about his beer?

I wrote this about it back in 2005:
Beautiful dark, plummy brown color, with lush foam above, active carbonation, attractive appearance.

Aroma: sweet, full ,complex, loaded with dark fruits, grapes, cherries, dates, plum, ...eggplant,...a bit of sour and must, an intriguing flavor in this nose, somewhere between sweetness and utter oddity. But I like it.

Taste: huge impact on the palate, big, fat, and delicious, ...more dark fruits swim the mouth, aided and abetted by a mix of spice, very rich, powerful, and juicy. Not as huge in alcohol, while still stronger than most beers, as it's brethren, this is a uniquely tasty, very drinkable effort from the makers of two of the most stunning beers on the planet. (The 8 and 10, of course.)

Very mellow, but far from mild. I admire the unique flavor more as it finds a home in my mouth. Medium bodied, long, fruity finish, very much deliciousness. I'm very happy with this one, and am amazed that this is the first time I've tried it...where have you been all my life? Yum, yum...try this one, please...your happiness is ensured!

2/09/05

(Wait…"eggplant"? what was I thinking?)